Nine great upgrades for under £100 — go faster, climb easier, get more comfortable, and shift and stop better

Updated December 5, 2018

Welcome to the latest edition of road.cc’s buyer's guide to ways of upgrading your bike for less than £100 in which you’ll find some of our favourite components that improve vital areas such as comfort, stopping power, shifting, tyre performance and all-round reliability.

Eddy Merckx once famously said that you shouldn’t buy upgrades, but should ride up grades. Riding more is almost always the best way to improve your cycling, but there are some component changes that will improve your comfort, safety and speed. Here’s a selection that each cost under £100.

Gravel bike low gear kit — ~£88

If you have a typical gravel bike with an 11-32 11-speed cassette, this combination of components gives you a substantially wider gear range with a 25% lower bottom gear. That's enough to make the difference between riding and walking when things get steep, or between spinning comfortably up a shallower climb and grinding up with your knees whinging that they didn't sign up for this.

But hang on, you're saying, surely even the long-arm GS version of the new 105 rear derailleur can only handle a 34-tooth largest sprocket? That's the gospel according to Shimano, but Shimano's official specs are always very conservative. As we demonstrated in this article, it works just fine, although there are a couple of gotchas to watch for during installation. And since the idea is to ride up grades, we think Eddy would approve.

Consistently rated in the top handful of tyres, the GP 4000S II is deservedly massively popular. Its main claim to fame is its low rolling resistance. As a tyre rolls along, it flexes, and this flex absorbs energy; the tyre literally resists rolling. Tyres with thin tread made from flexible rubber, and light, supple casings have low rolling resistance. Problem is, they also tend to be easily punctured. The success of the GP 4000S II is down in part to a layer under the tread of fabric made from Vectran, a high-strength synthetic fibre. This helps ward off punctures, though they still happen. It’s not as effective as the thick anti-puncture layer in a tyre like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus but it’s considerably better than nothing.

While you’re buying new tyres, consider going up a size or two. The 28mm version of the GP 4000S II rolls superbly and can be run at lower pressures to improve comfort and road holding.

If you’re a Speedplay pedal user, then you know the system’s biggest weakness is that the cleats are very awkward to walk in. To make things worse, any significant amount of walking, or even frequent touching down at lights, erodes the aluminium outer plate.

Speedplay’s Walkable cleats fix both these problems by putting a rubber cover over the cleat mechanism, so the metal is protected.They come with plugs that stop crud from getting into the mechanism too, fixing another common gripe with Zeros.

USE is better known to road cyclists for its Exposure lights, but it has a long history as component maker, particularly of seatposts. At 174g in 400mm x 27.2 post, this is a light post, and will be lighter still in a more road-appropriate 300mm length.

Weight aside, carbon fibre seatposts have the advantage that they’re usually more flexible than those made from aluminium,reducing the road buzz that gets through to your bum.

At 215g, this classic saddle lops almost 100g off a typical stock seat and is famously comfortable. The usual caveats apply, of course: everyone’s bottom is different, so what suits other riders may still give you a bum rap.

More broadly, changing your saddle, and carefully adjusting its height, angle and fore-aft position, can be the biggest comfort improvement you can make. If you’re not sitting comfortably — if cycling is literally a pain in the arse — then go shopping for a better seat.

For the most part, Shimano shifting systems work best if all their components are made by Shimano. If the company that made your bike shaved a few cents off the bill of materials by using a non-Shimano chain and sprockets, then you’ll get slicker shifting if you fit Shimano parts when they wear out.

With its alloy carrier, the Ultegra-level CS-8000 sprocket set is in Shimano’s value-for-money sweet spot. It can be found for around £50, weighs 212g in an 11-23 (the Dura-Ace cassette is feathery at 166g, but costs three times more) and Just Works™. In a bundle with an Ultegra chain, it’s a no-brainer.

The brakes on many less-expensive bikes are, frankly, not great. In particular, the cheap unbadged brakes you often find on sub-£1,000 bikes lack feel and oomph. Replacing them with these solidly-built stoppers substantially improves braking feel and power, and if you can brake with more control, you can go faster.

Shimano says these brakes should only be used with Super SLR levers, but that’s all current Shimano brake/shift levers.

Because the sleeve between the two threaded bearing holders is aluminium not plastic, the Hope bottom bracket is slightly heavier than a Shimano unit, but to make up for it you can have it in a choice of colours.

Shimano’s SPD-SL pedal system is popular for its reliability and function. The Ultegra version is light thanks to a carbon fibre body and durable because of its stainless steel top plate and excellent, easily-maintained bearings. As with many Shimano pedals, you can remove the axle unit, fill the body with grease, and screw the axle back in, forcing fresh grease into the bearings.

About road.cc Buyer's Guides

The aim of road.cc buyer's guides is to give you the most, authoritative, objective and up-to-date buying advice. We continuously update and republish our guides, checking prices, availability and looking for the best deals.

Our guides include links to websites where you can buy the featured products. Like most sites we make a small amount of money if you buy something after clicking on one of those links. We want you to be happy with what you buy, so we only include a product in a if we think it's one of the best of its kind.

As far as possible that means recommending equipment that we have actually reviewed, but we also include products that are popular, highly-regarded benchmarks in their categories.

Our official grumpy Northerner, John has been riding bikes for over 30 years since discovering as an uncoordinated teen that a sport could be fun if it didn't require you to catch a ball or get in the way of a hulking prop forward.

Road touring was followed by mountain biking and a career racing in the mud that was as brief as it was unsuccessful.

Somewhere along the line came the discovery that he could string a few words together, followed by the even more remarkable discovery that people were mug enough to pay for this rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work. He's pretty certain he's worked for even more bike publications than Mat Brett.

The inevitable 30-something MAMIL transition saw him shift to skinny tyres and these days he lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

39 comments

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Batchy[403 posts]2 years ago

11 likes

Substitute Ultegra 6800 with 105 5800 and save some dosh . Same function just a few grams heavier!

The USE seatpost is not actually as light as advertised. I bought one and it was 25%! heavier at 217g. I was told they had used incorrectly calibrated scales and would have to re-weigh everything. This was a few weeks ago and they still have not changed the details.

New tyres and latex tubes definitely, although there's so little difference between GP4000s and Pro 4s or Schwalbe ones, I'd go for whatever was cheapest.

I have used all three of them... GP4000s are the best by far.

I much prefer the Pro 4 (endurance) to GP4000. Much more grip and they feel almost bullet proof. My latest set of GP4000s seem to puncture every month.

I'm probably swimming against the tide here but I've never had a great Conti' tyre. Of the half-dozen different types I've ridden precisely none have given satisfactory service. They either wear incredibly fast or puncture too often or slip on wet roads. Or sometimes all three.

You might think I've been unlucky but every time I swap to another brand - mostly Schwalbe - my luck seems to change. Funny that.

New tyres and latex tubes definitely, although there's so little difference between GP4000s and Pro 4s or Schwalbe ones, I'd go for whatever was cheapest.

I have used all three of them... GP4000s are the best by far.

I much prefer the Pro 4 (endurance) to GP4000. Much more grip and they feel almost bullet proof. My latest set of GP4000s seem to puncture every month.

I'm probably swimming against the tide here but I've never had a great Conti' tyre. Of the half-dozen different types I've ridden precisely none have given satisfactory service. They either wear incredibly fast or puncture too often or slip on wet roads. Or sometimes all three.

You might think I've been unlucky but every time I swap to another brand - mostly Schwalbe - my luck seems to change. Funny that.

My experience is similar. 4000's that would get two punctures in the first 10 miles my rides for a month before I junked them. Then a set of Ultra Sport's or Ultra Race that did about as well. The only good conti's I've had are gatorskins and the attack/force combo set.

It's wierd how Contis polarise opinion. I have 7 bikes and the only ones not wearing Contis in some form or other are the mountain bike (that's because I can't remember when I last changed them) and the track bike cos I haven't seen a Conti suited to that purpose.

GP4000s for the TT and road bike, Gatorskins for the commuter and tandem, Grand Prix for the winter hack. I even gravitate to Conti tubes by default, although I'm less fussy about that (Michelin Latex on the TT).

Not going to tempt fate by mentioning the 'P' word, but you can tell I'm perfectly happy with Conti's product range.

It's wierd how Contis polarise opinion. I have 7 bikes and the only ones not wearing Contis in some form or other are the mountain bike (that's because I can't remember when I last changed them) and the track bike cos I haven't seen a Conti suited to that purpose.

GP4000s for the TT and road bike, Gatorskins for the commuter and tandem, Grand Prix for the winter hack. I even gravitate to Conti tubes by default, although I'm less fussy about that (Michelin Latex on the TT).

Not going to tempt fate by mentioning the 'P' word, but you can tell I'm perfectly happy with Conti's product range.

From talking to cyclists and reading endless tyre reviews I have to accept that you are in the majority; I'm one of only a few who can't seem to get on with Contis. It's not that I haven't tried, I've actually spent money on Gatorskins and I've had several bikes with different varieties fitted as standard. And, sure as eggs is eggs, I feel badly let down by them, every time.

Maybe I upset a German when I was one of the occupying troops in the sixties?

It's wierd how Contis polarise opinion. I have 7 bikes and the only ones not wearing Contis in some form or other are the mountain bike (that's because I can't remember when I last changed them) and the track bike cos I haven't seen a Conti suited to that purpose.

GP4000s for the TT and road bike, Gatorskins for the commuter and tandem, Grand Prix for the winter hack. I even gravitate to Conti tubes by default, although I'm less fussy about that (Michelin Latex on the TT).

Not going to tempt fate by mentioning the 'P' word, but you can tell I'm perfectly happy with Conti's product range.

I've had good service from two sets of GP4seasons over more than 4000 miles, with very few punctures indeed and plenty of life left on the second set. (One in wet weather, the other three have all been pinches on potholes but I did hit them very hard). I have got a few little nicks in them but I do take them offroad sometimes!!

Most people who I've spoken to who have tried gatorskins reckon the grip is a bit rubbish, but they are durable.

However, I definitely wouldn't bother with Conti MTB tyres - I think Schwalbe are a far, far better choice.

Conti 4000 sidewalls can be annoying in the extreme, I had to ditch a new tyre recently after I slid out on a corner and the sidewall was more ripped up than my shorts. However, I find them to be fairly puncture resistant, the wear to be average and the grip is the best I've ever had from clinchers in 30 years of competetive riding, in the wet and dry. As a race clincher they're incomparable in my experience (rough NZ road surfaces, 90 psi). As a training tyre there are better wearing tyres generally with less grip (Rubin pros are so slippy I think they are actually dangerous in the wet), but I can't bring myself to ride armadillos or gatorskins as they're about as supple as a plank of wood and feel really dead. IMHO Conti 4000 are the best all round and I'd consider them an upgrade over anything else (except tubeless. Haven't tried owning tubeless yet :-/). Vittoria open corsas are the only other thing I'd consider for grip and feel a dry race, except in NZ conditions they slash up terribly and they are very average in the wet.

Touch wood I've not had any issues with my Conti Gp4000s, good grip and no P's. I've seen one sliced open on the sidewall, but not one of mine. Gatorskins are bullet proof in my experience, but a bit wooden in feel and not confidence inspiring, and I've had them slide on me before.

My favourite tyre for summer is a Vittoria corsa cc with 320tpi carcass, super supple and comfy ride, great trip too. I prefer it to the Conti

I'm going to try out tubeless this summer, maybe some IRC's

Hope BB's are a great upgrade, all my bikes have them, replaceable bearings, no creaking or noises.